Multi-purpose therapeutic attachment for hospital and other beds having side guards



April 17, 1962 G. R. MAERTINS 3,029,447

MULTI-PURPOSE THERAPEUTIC ATTACHMENT FOR HOSPITAL AND OTHER BEDS HAVING SIDE GUARDS 4 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed June 28, 1960 [220022302 alwfave 3.11m, by v 3,029,447 HOSPITA Ap 1962 G. R. MAERTINS MULTI-PURPOSE THERAPEUTIC ATTACHMENT FOR AND OTHER BEDS HAVING SIDE GUARDS 4 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed June 28, 1960 122121922303 wiave/R. Mae2 $i2m, by fizz, W 2 m J U, w

April 17, 1962 G. R. MAERTINS TIC ATTACHMENT FOR HOSPIT AND OTHER BEDS HAVING SIDE GUARDS MULTI-PURPOSE THERAPEU 4 Sheets-Sheet 3 Filed June 28, 1960 April 17, 1962 G. R. MAERTINS 3,029,447 MULTI-PURPOSE THERAPEUTIC ATTACHMENT FOR HOSPITAL AND OTHER BEDS HAVING SIDE GUARDS Filed June 28, 1960 4 Sheets-Sheet 4 United States Patent 3,029,447 Patented Apr. 17, 1962 ice MULTI-PURPOSE THERAPEUTIC ATTACHMENT FOR HOSPITAL AND OTHER BEDS HAVING SIDE GUARDS Gustave R. Maertins, Hyannis, Mass. Guardian Corporation, 394 Washington St, Quincy, Mass.) Filed June 23, 1960, Ser. No. 39,311 12 Claims- (Cl. -92) This invention relates to a multipurpose attachment for beds having side guards and which has for one of its objectives to provide a novel device of this type which is constructed so that it can be placed in different positions on the upper portion of the side guards depending upon the use to which it is to be put.

When placed in one position on the side guards, the device functions as an exerciser by which the patient may obtain needed physical exercise.

When placed in another position on the side guards, the device is adapted to assist the patient occupying the bed in changing his position.

When placed in still another position on the side guards,'the device functions as a restraining device to prevent the patient from climbing out of the bed.

Another object of the invention is to provide a device of this type which can be used for basketing a patient by holding the bed sheets, blankets, and other bed coverings spaced from a patient who has burns or other skin disease.

While the device is capable of being used in connection with beds having different forms of side guards, yet it is especially designed for use in connection with a bed which has folding side guards such as are shown in U.S.- Patent No. 2,799,869, dated July 23, 1957.

Another object of the invention is to provide a device of the above type which is constructed so that when it is not in use it can be hung on the lower rail of one of the side guards in a position in which it does not interfere with the opening and folding movement of the side guard.

In the drawings:

FIG. 1 shows the device as it would be used for providing physical exercise for a patient;

FIG. 2 shows the device in use for holding the bed covers spaced from a patient who may be sufiering from skin disease or burns;

FIG. 3 shows how the device may be used for assisting a patient to change her position in the bed;

FIG. 4 illustrates the manner in which the device may be stored on the lower rail of a side guard when it is not in use;

FIG. 5 is a section on the line 55, FIG. 3;

FIG. 6 is a section on the line 6-6, FIG. 7;

FIG. 7 is a top plan view of one end of the operative bar with a part shown in section on the line 7-7, FIG. 6;

FIG. 8 shows details of the hearing at the upper end of the end members.

FIGS. 9, 10, and 11 show an end member which is constructed to be used in connection with a folding side guard in which the top and bottom rails of said guard are tubular or cylindrical.

In the drawings, 1 indicates a bed which is provided with side guards S of the type illustrated in said U.S. Patout No. 2,799,869. Each side guard comprises a lower guard rail 2 which is rigidly secured to the lower rail 3 of the bed frame by supporting plates 4, an upper guard rail 7, and a plurality of connecting members 8 pivotally connected at their lower ends to the lower guard rail '2 and at their upper ends to the upper guard rail 7, thereby allowing the guard to be folded when it is not in use, as shown in FIG. 4.

The multipurpose attachment herein illustrated comprises two end members 12 and lS, each of which is provided at its lower end with clamping means by which it can be clamped in an upright position to the upper rail 7 or" one of the folding side guards S. The upper end of each end member is provided with a cylindrical bearing portion 14 in which is mounted a cylindrical operative bar 15, said bar extending across the bed from one end member to the other. The bearing portion 14 of each end member is provided with locking means for locking the operative bar 15 thereto. The locking means is preferably constructed to permit the operative bar to be moved or adjusted in a lengthwise direction relative to each end member so that the end members may be spaced different distances apart to accommodate beds of different widths.

The locking means herein shown comprises a locking pin 16 carried by each bearingtportion 14 and a plurality of holes 17 formed in the bar 15 near each end thereof, into any one of which holes the locking pin 16 may be engaged. Each pin 16 is enclosed in a cylindrical casing 13 which is rigidly attached to the corresponding bearing member 14. The end of each pin 16 extends through the end of its casing 18 and has a head or finger piece 19 secured thereto. Situated within each casing is a coil spring 20 which surrounds the pin 16 and bears at its outer end against the end 21 of the casing 18 and at its inner end against the enlarged end 22 of the pin 16. Said end 22 is shown as being oblong in shape, and the holes 17 are of a similar oblong shape. When the operative bar 15 is turned on its axis into aposition in which the row of holes 17 at each end is in line with the corresponding pin 16, an adjustment of said bar in the direction of its length will bring the holes 17 successively into register with the locking pin so that each end member 12 or 13 may be readily adjusted longitudinally of the bar 15 and locked in as many different positions as there are holes 17.

When it is desired to unlock the operative bar 15 from the bearing member 14, the pin 16 may be pulled out wardly to withdraw its oblong end 22 from an oblong hole 1.7 and then if said pin is turned so that its oblong end extends across the oblong hole 17 the pin will be held in its retracted position and each end member and the operative bar 15 are free to have a relative movement in the direction of the length of said bar. The bar may be locked by bringing one of the holes 17 into register with the pin 16 and then turning the pin to bring its oblong end 22 into parallel relation to the hole 17. The spring 18 will then function to. force the end 22 of the pin into the aperture 17. If desired, the head 19 of each pin 16 may have an arrow or other mark 25 thereon which indicates the lengthwise direction of the oblong end 22 of the pin.

The clamp at the bottom of each end member by which it is clamped to the top rail 7 of a side guard S may have any desired construction. As shown in FIG. 5, the lower end of the end of the end member has a U-shape 26, and it also is provided with two laterally extending headed studs '28 located above the U-shaped section. The heads 29 of the studs are spaced from the body portion of the end member by a distance equal to the horizontal dimension of the upper rail 7 of the side guard. The end member 12 is mounted on the upper side-guard rail 7 with the upper edge of said rail 7 embraced by the heads 29 of the studs and the lower edge occupying the U-shaped lower end 26 of said member. A clamping screw 39 operates in the bridge portion 31 of said U- shaped portion 26 and clamps the rail 7 firmly against the headed studs 28.

When the end members 12 and 13 are mounted on the upper rails 7 of the two side guards S in the positions shown in FIG. 1, the bar 15 will be properly positioned so that it forms means by which the patient occupying the bed may obtain physical exercise. This is done by grasping the bar with her hands and pulling the upper part of her body into an upright or semi-upright position as shown in FIG. 1, and then relaxing her grip and allowing her head and shoulders to drop back onto the pillow. By repeating this performance several times, the patient can easily get any needed physical exercise.

If the device is placed on the upper rails 7 of the side guards close to the head of the head of the bed as shown in FIG. 3, it will be useful in connection with patients who tend to slide downwardly in the bed. If such a patient has sufficient strength, she may be able, by grasping the bar 15, to pull herself back into normal position; but if the patient is not able to do so, she may be able to make it easier for the nurse to move her by grasping the bar 15 and supporting a portion of her weight thereon.

The device can also be used for supporting the bed covers and keeping them spaced from the portions of a patients body that is being treated for skin disease (e.g., burns, etc.). For this purpose, the device is provided with a second bar 34 which is detachably connected to the lower ends of the end members and extends from one to the other. When the second bar 34 is mounted on the end members as shown in FIG. 2, the bed covers can be placed over it and thus be held out of contact with the portion of the patients body that is directly beneath said bar 34. By shifting the end members 12 and 13 on the side guards, the point at which the bed covers are held spaced from the patient can be changed. If the burns or skin infection is on the patients legs, the end members will then be placed towards the foot of the bed, while if it is desired to space the bed covers from the upper part of the patients body, the end members will be adjusted to the corresponding position for this purpose. This second bar 34 is made in two parts 35 and 36 which can be adjusted relative to each other so as to provide a bar having an overall length to fit the width of the bed with which the device is used. This adjustment is provided for by making one of the sections of the second bar with a slot 37 and providing the other section with a pair of clamping screws 38 which extend through the slot and can be tightened to securely clamp the two sections together after they have been adjusted relative to each other. Each end member 12 and 13 is provided with a flat projection 40 to which an end of the bar 34 is detachably secured. Each projection 40 carries a clamping bolt 41 (see FIG. provided with a head 42 and a flat-sided section 43 adjacent the head and a wing nut 45 on the screw-threaded portion. Each end of the bar 34 has a slot 44a in which the flat-sided section of the clamping bolt is received. The tightening of the wing nut securely clamps the bar 34 to the projection 40, and by loosening the wing nut, the bar 34 becomes unclamped and can be readily removed.

The multipurpose attachment herein described is so constructed that if a patient is occupying a bed having a folding side guard on each side in a raised or operative position and said multipurpose attachment is mounted on the top rails 7 of said side guards, and it is desired to fold one of said guards in order to give attendants better access to the patient, the folding of the side guard can be accomplished without removing either of the end members 12 and 13 from the top rail 7 on which it is mounted. To carry out this operation, the operative bar will be unlocked from both end members and withdrawn from the end member carried by the side guard which is to be folded (the end member 12 in FIG. 4), and pushed back partially through the bearing 14 on the other end member (13) as shown in dotted lines in FIG. 4. The side guard from which the operative bar has been detached is then folded with the end member 12- attached thereto, thereby providing the attendants free access to the patient. When the treatment of the patient has been completed, the folded side guard may be raised and the bar 15 again connected and locked to the end member 12.

Another feature of the invention relates to the com struction by which the multipurpose attachment can be stored on the lower rail 2 of either side guard S without. interfering with the folding or unfolding of said sid guard.

Each end member is provided with an inverted U- shaped hanger 44 having a shape to fit over the bottom rail 2 of a side guard. In the construction shown, each hanger 44 is welded or otherwise rigidly secured to the bearing portion 14 of an end member as shown in FIG. 6. When the attachment has been removed from the side guards, the hangers 44 can be hung on the bottom rail 2 of either side guard; and when in this position, it hangs down below said bottom rail 2 and alongside the side rail 3 of the bed and is entirely out of the way. Since the attachment is hung on the lower rail 2. of a side guard, it does not in any way interfere with folding or unfolding movement of the side guard. Whenever the attachment is to be used, it is a simple matter to lift if off from the lower side guard rail 2 and mount it on the raised side guards S.

In the construction shown in FIGS. 1-6, each side guard S is made with flat top and bottom rails 2 and 7.

If the side guards are made with round or cylindrical top and bottom rails, then the end members may be made with a hanger element mounted on the bearing portion which has a curved contour to fit a round bottom rail, and said end member may also be made with a clamping means for clamping it to the top rail of the side guard, which clamping means has a shape and construction to fit a round top rail.

An end member having such a construction is illustrated in FIGS. 9, 10 and 11 and is indicated by the numeral 12a. This end member has at its upper end a tubular bearing portion indicated at 14a to receive the end of the operative bar 15, and said bearing portion is provided with the hanger element 46 which has a curved shape to fit the cylindrical bottom rail of the side guard.

Said end member 12a is also shown in said FIGS. 9-11 with a clamping means for clamping it to the round top rail 7a of the side guard, which clamping means includes a clamping member 46 rigid with the end member 12a and having a curved shape to conform to the contour of the top rail 7a and also a movable clamping member 47 which has a similar curved shape. The clamping member 47 is shown as having a projecting portion 48 which operates in a slot 49 formed in the end member 12a, and the two clamping members are clamped to the round top rail 7a by means of a clamping screw 50 which extends through the lateral portion 51 of the end member 12a.

The end member shown in FIGS. 9 and 10 is also provided with means similar to that shown in FIGS. 1-6 for detachably supporting the second bar 34.

I claim:

1. A multi-purpose device for use in connection with a bed having a side guard attached to said bed at each side thereof, said multi-purpose device comprising two end members, each having at its lower end means to removably attach it in an upright position to the top of one of said side guards and also having an upper end located some distance above said top of said side guard said upper end having a tubular bearing portion, a bar extending from one end member to the other and having its ends mounted in said bearing portions, and means to lock said bar to said bearing portions.

2. The combination as defined in claim 3 in which the means for attaching each end member to the top of a side guard is provided with means for locating said end member at any point along the length of said side guard, whereby when the end members are located at or near the head of the bed the cylindrical bar may be used by the person occupying the bed to pull herself upwardly toward the head of the bed.

3. The combination with a bed having a side guard on each side thereof, of a multi-purpose device compris: ing two end members each having at its lower end means to removably attach it in an upright position to the top of a side guard with its upper end located some distance above said top of the side guard, said upper end having a cylindrical bearing portion, said end members being mounted on the side guards in axial alignment, a cylindrical bar extending from one end member to the other and having its ends mounted in said cylindrical bearing portions, locking means carried by each bearing portion and constructed to lock the cylindrical bar thereto in any one of a plurality of positions lengthwise of the bar.

4. The combination with a bed having a folding side guard on each side, each folding guard presenting a top guard rail, a lower guard rail, and connecting members pivoted at their lower ends to the lower guard rail and at their upper ends to the top guard rail, and means securing the lower guard rail to the side rail of the bed, of a multi-purpose device mounted on the top rails of the folding side guards and comprising two end members, one end member having at its lower end means for clamping it to one of the top guard rails the other end member having at its lower end means for clamping it to the other of said top guard rails in a vertical position with its top end located some distance above said top of the guard rail each of said end members having at its said top end a tubular bearing portion, a cylindrical bar having its ends mounted insaid bearing portions, locking means carried by each bearing portion and operative to releasably lock the bar to said bearing portion in any one of several different positions lengthwise of the bar.

5. The combination in claim 4 in which each bearing portion has an inverted U-shaped hanger dimensioned to receive said lower guard rail, said hangers providing means by which said device as a unit, when it is not being used, may be hung on the lower rail of one of the side guards without interfering with the folding or unfolding operation of said side guard.

6. The combination defined in claim 4 and which includes a bed clothes supporting bar extending from the lower end of one end member to the lower end of the other end member, and over which the bed covers may be placed to hold them spaced from the occupant of the bed, and means to detachably secure each end of the bed clothes supporting bar to the corresponding end member.

7. The combination with a bed having a folding side guard on each side, each folding guard presenting a top guard rail, a bottom guard rail, and connecting members pivoted at their lower ends to the lower guard rail and at their upper ends to the top guard rail, and means securing the lower guard rail to the side rail of the bed, of a multi-purpose device mounted on the top rails of the folding side guards and comprising two end members, one end member having at its lower end means for clamping it to one of the top guard rails the other end member having at its lower end means for clamping it to the other of said top guard rails at any one of several positions along the length of said rail, said end members having a top end located some distance above said top guard rail, and each of said end members having at its said top end a tubular bearing portion, a cylindrical bar having its ends mounted in said bearing portions, locking means carried by each bearing portion and operative to releasably lock the bar to said bearing portion in any one of 7 spaced from the occupant of the bed.

8. The combination as defined in claim 7 in which the second bar is adjustable as to its length.

9. The combination with a bed provided with a side guard on each side thereof and having a top guard rail on each said side guard, of a multi-purpose device comprising two end members each having at its lower end means to removably attach it in an upright position to said top guard rail of a said side guard with its upper end located some distance above said top rail, said upper end having a cylindrical bearing portion, said end members being mounted on said top guard rails with said bearing portions in axial alignment, a cylindrical bar extending from one end member to the other and having its ends mounted in said cylindrical bearing portions, locking means carried by each bearing portion and constructed to lock the cylindrical bar thereto in any one of a plurality of positions lengthwise of the bar.

10. The combination as defined in claim 9 in which the means for attaching each end member to the top guard rail of each side guard is provided with means for locating said end member at any of a plurality of points along the length of said top guard rail, whereby when the end members are located at or near the head of the bed the cylindrical bar may be used by the person occupying the bed to pull herself upwardly toward the head of the bed.

l l. The combination defined in claim 10 in which said last mentioned means comprise stud members extending horizontally from each said end member and dimensioned to engage the top of the associated top guard rail, a U- shaped bracket at the base of each said end member and disposed to pass under the said associated top guard rail, and locking means in screw threaded engagement with said bracket disposed to engage the underside of said associated top guard rail and operable to lock said end member to said associated guard rail.

12. In combination with a multi-purpose therapeutic device for use on a bed having a side guard at either side thereof and having an end member removeably attached to each side guard, each end member having at its upper end disposed some distance above said side guard a cylindrical bearing portion, and a cylindrical rod mounted in and between said cylindrical bearing portions; of means for maintaining the bed clothes on said bed out of contact with a patient therein, said means comprising a bar dimensioned to extend between said end members at the lower ends thereof, and means connecting saidbar to each of said end members at the said lower ends thereof, whereby said bed clothes supporting bar may be detached from said bed without being first removed from between i said end members.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,598,569 Fitzhugh Aug. 31, 1926 2,529,173 Moyer at al Nov. 7, 1950' 2,739,320 Kostka Mar. 27, 1956 2,799,869 Leone et al July 23, 1957 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE CERTIFICATE OF CORRECTIO Patent No. 3,029,447 April 17, 1962 Gustave R. Maertins Column 4, line 67, claim 2 should be renumbered to be claim 8; same line 67 for the claim reference numeral "3" read 2 column 5 line 1 claim 3 should be renumbered to be claim 2; line 14, claim 4 should be renumbered to be claim 3; line 33, claim 5 should be renumbered to be claim 4; same line 33, for the claim reference numeral "4" read 3 line 40, claim 6 should be renumbered to be claim 5; same line 40,, for the claim reference numeral "4" read 3 same column 5 line 49, claim 7 should be renumbered to be claim 6; column 6 line 8 claim 8 should be renumbered to be claim 7; same line 8 for the claim reference numeral "7" read 6 Signed and sealed this 31st day of July 1962 (SEAL) Attcst:

ERNEST W. SWIDER DAVID L. LADD Attesting Officer Commissioner of Patents 

